May 16, 2015

 by Mike Barbato

The Kettlebell Push Press: Where Strength Meets Athletic Power

The push press is where strength training starts to look like athletic training. It's not a strict press — it's a power coordination drill that requires the upper and lower body to work together to generate force, transfer it, and finish it overhead. When it's done right, the line between lifting and athleticism gets blurry in the best way.

At Precision Kettlebells in Malvern, PA, the push press is a staple in intermediate and advanced programming. It builds on the strict press foundation and adds a whole new layer of power and timing.

Push Press Variations

The push press can be performed three ways — and the technique standards apply across all of them:

• Two-handed push press — a single kettlebell held with both hands, demonstrated in the video below. A great way to learn the dip and drive timing before adding the complexity of the rack position.
• Single kettlebell push press — one bell in the rack position. Adds a unilateral demand and challenges the core to resist rotation through the drive.
• Double kettlebell push press — two bells, one in each rack. Maximum load, maximum demand on timing and coordination. This is where the movement really earns its reputation.

Kettlebell Push Press Technique: What We Look For

• Clean the kettlebells into the rack before you begin. The press starts from a solid rack, not a sloppy catch.
• The dip and drive must both be present — and there can only be one. A shallow knee bend loads the legs. The explosive drive redirects that force straight up into the bell. A second dip is a failed rep. One dip, one drive, one press.
• Distinct pause in the rack before each rep. No bouncing out of the rack. Reset, brace, dip, drive.
• Full lockout with a motionless pause at the top. Elbows and knees locked, bell fixed overhead. Own the top position before you bring it down.
• Torso may lean slightly back — but that lean cannot increase during the press. Same rule as the strict press. A fixed lean is a technique choice. A growing lean is a compensation.
• Shoulders stay down from rack to eye level. No shrugging in the lower range. Let the drive do the work through that range, not the traps.
• Knees locked during the pause in the rack. The dip is deliberate and initiated — not a collapse. Stand tall in the rack, then dip with intention.
• No spine hyperextension. The drive goes up, not back. Keep the lower back out of it.
• Heels stay planted throughout. Rising onto the toes during the drive is a red flag — it means the force is going forward instead of straight up.
• Lower the bell into the rack with relaxed arms. The descent is absorbed by an abdominal brace and a knee dip — not caught stiff-armed. Upper arms contact the ribcage at the point of impact to cushion the load.

Note for female athletes: neither the arms nor the kettlebells may make contact with the chest at any point during the movement.

Watch the Kettlebell Push Press in Action

The video below demonstrates the two-handed push press — one bell, both hands, full dip-drive-lockout sequence. Watch the timing between the knee bend and the press, the lockout pause at the top, and the controlled descent back into position. The same standards apply when you move to single or double bell variations in the rack.

Why the Push Press Belongs in Your Training

The push press lets you move more weight overhead than a strict press — not by cheating, but by using the whole body correctly. That increased load builds strength in ranges the strict press can't reach on its own. The timing and coordination it demands also develops athletic qualities that carry over into sport, daily life, and every other movement in the kettlebell system.

It's also a confidence builder. The first time a client drives a heavy bell overhead that they couldn't strict press — and sticks the lockout clean — it changes how they think about what they're capable of. That happens a lot inside Kettlebell KUTS, our 16-week online transformation program, once the pressing foundation is solid and we start layering in power work.

Build the Foundation First

The push press rewards good mechanics and punishes bad ones fast. If your strict press isn't solid yet, start there. Once the overhead position, the wrist alignment, and the shoulder packing are dialed in, the push press comes together quickly.

If you're local to Malvern, PA, our 21-Day Jump Start is where we build that foundation — coached, progressive, and structured from day one.

Start your 21-Day Jump Start →

Training online? Kettlebell KUTS gives you 16 weeks of programming, coaching, and weekly video check-ins — so movements like the push press get built the right way, not just attempted.

Learn more about Kettlebell KUTS →

One dip. One drive. One lockout. That's the push press. Get the timing right and it becomes one of the most satisfying movements in the system.